THE FIRST-EVER FLASH MOB happened in 2003 in a New York City department store.

Of the thousands that have happened since, few can claim the symbolism of Sunday’s mob in Dartmouth, when hundreds of Mi’kmaq people and their supporters showed up to sing, dance and briefly take over the heart of the Mic Mac Mall.

“They took our land,” said Eileen Brooks with a mischievous smile.

“They even took our name and put it on this place.”

Similar events have happened at malls across Canada this week to draw attention to the Idle No More movement, which is against Bill C-45 and also about the government’s failure to consult with Canada’s First Nations about the bill.

Ontario Chief Theresa Spence is in the 14th day of a hunger strike, which she has said she’ll end when Prime Minister Stephen Harper meets with her.

So far he has not publicly acknowledged the request.

At the mall, dozens of people beat drums and sang roughly eight songs, women’s voices rising in melody.

As they sang, others joined hands and danced in a circle big enough to stretch around an escalator, a Starbucks and a large kiosk.

Many shoppers with bags swinging from their hands joined in. When people needed to get through the line, the dancers would drop hands and let them through.

But the empty hands gave the dancers more chances to ask bystanders to join in, which many did with a smile.

“I think it’s great they’re demonstrating, and it’s time they were given total freedom, which is what they had in the first place,” said Jim Hewey, 67, who stood watching the singing.

A packed escalator full of shoppers screamed cheers and clapped when one song finished.

Others leaned over the balcony to get a better view of the circle dance. Janice Cobean and her daughter Katrina, 17, were doing some last-minute shopping in the Eddie Bauer outlet, directly above the flash mob, when they heard the drumming.

Like most shoppers in the store, they rushed out and looked over the balcony, said Katrina, who said she liked the idea of people fighting for what they believe in.

Her mother said she didn’t mind the disturbance.

“A lot of people got to hear them, and maybe that’s their only experience with native (people),” she said. “It’s interesting to see other cultures.”

Many of the mall dances across Canada have been called “round dances,” though real round dances involve certain steps that take time to learn.

The singers knew their music well, even though some showed up with little notice. Brooks helped lead some songs.

“That honour song there, that’s very, very spiritual,” she said. “It’s for ceremonies. It’s a prayer in itself.”

Despite that, it felt natural to sing the song in the fluorescent-lit mall while strangers stared, Brooks said.

“I don’t feel weird when I’ve got all my people with me.”

Derrick Paulette, originally from Paqtnkek First Nation in Antigonish County, began learning Mi’kmaq songs when he was 10 or 11, he said. He heard about the flash mob a day or two in advance.

“It was pretty cool. You’d see a lot of people taking pictures,” he said. “I don’t know how much they know about the bill, but they were respectful to what we were trying to do.”

Bill C-45, the federal government’s omnibus budget legislation, drastically cuts down on protection for Canada’s waterways. However, Idle No More is trying to draw attention to a bigger pattern, said Shelley Young, who helped organize the flash mob.

“There’s a lot of bills getting pushed through that will affect our environment,” she said. “It’s affecting everyone.”

Some shoppers were less happy about the disruption.

“I agree with what they want to do, but it’s not the right place right now,” said Marcel Chiasson, 58, as he waited in line for coffee. “People are not in the mood to hear about protests this time of the year.”

The mob lasted for less than an hour, and then the crowd melted away into the mall, leaving three men drumming and singing quietly in a corner while shoppers walked by.